The story of an American boy with autism who was stranded in the countryside for two weeks after a seizure prevented him from boarding his flight home. The boy, who had been on vacation abroad with his family, faced difficulties returning home. He eventually returned home by boat with the help of a disability support organization.
A 15-year-old boy named Elijah, who lives in New Jersey and has autism, recently embarked on a family vacation to Aruba in the Caribbean with his mother, her boyfriend, and his two brothers. His mother, Jamie Greene, was not concerned about him traveling by plane, as he had flown more than twice in the past.
On May 17th, the family boarded a United Airlines flight back to New Jersey after their vacation. But as the plane was preparing for takeoff, Elijah began to scream. He tried to move around the plane, and the episode escalated when his mother tried to stop him. Elijah started to pinch his mother and tried to head-butt her. Ultimately, the pilot decided Elijah could not stay on the plane for safety reasons and asked him to leave.
While sympathetic to the airline’s position, Grenne expressed her disappointment. She acknowledged that it wasn’t the airline’s fault and clarified that she didn’t want to blame them. Nevertheless, she emphasized the need for the aviation industry to develop policies and procedures that better accommodate individuals with disabilities like her child, Eliyah.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s airline consumer protection policy, an airline cannot ask a passenger to disembark from an airplane unless it’s for safety, security, or health reasons. However, exceptions are made for passengers committing illegal acts.
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for United Airlines said: “Safety is our number one priority and, in this instance, since we fly daily out of Aruba, we worked to find and offer alternative United flights that same week to the customers who were impacted.” Although the airline offered travel credit to Greene and her family to rebook their flight home, she decided not to fly because she feared her son might have another episode under the same cases. Greene tried to get a strong sedative prescribed for Eliyah to prevent him from having a seizure on the plane. However, airline officials prohibited this, stating that it is illegal to allow someone who is under the influence of a sedative and unable to walk or fasten their seat belt to board the plane. She argued, “Planes are not inclusive. There are so many things that can trigger a special needs person on a plane, and there is no policy in place if that happens.” A week after the incident, the rest of the family returned home for school, leaving Eliyah and his mother behind. Greene, who stayed in Aruba with her son, posted their story on social media and asked for help. After seeing her post, the disability support organization KultureCity contacted Greene. They connected her with a disability-friendly cruise certified by their organization, helping Greene and Eliyah return home.
The cruise that Elijah and Greene boarded is known to be part of the world’s leading cruise company, Carnival. The organization works with Carnival Cruise Line, the first certified “sensory inclusive.” “All of Carnival’s guest-facing crew have been trained to understand and help guests with sensory/cognitive needs,” Carnival’s website states. “Given Carnival’s close partnership with nonprofit KultureCity, our team has a deep understanding of the needs of individuals with sensory and invisible disabilities,” said Vicky Rey, Vice President of Guest Care & Communications at Carnival Cruise Line. “When the organization contacted us about Elijah’s situation and we realized we could bring him back to the United States on one of our ships, we did not hesitate to offer help,” the statement continued.
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